1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an implement for cutting open an envelope to remove the contents thereof and, more particularly, to a manually operated letter opener.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Letter openers for cutting open envelopes are well known. Typically, a pointed knife-like implement, with or without a serrated cutting edge, is manually inserted underneath an envelope flap, and the implement is then forced in a sawing or smooth motion against a longitudinal edge of the envelope with a sufficient effort to cut or tear through the longitudinal edge, thereby permitting the contents of the envelope to be removed through the cut or torn opening formed therein.
Although generally acceptable for their intended purpose, such knife-like letter openers, despite their widespread use, are not altogether satisfactory. The point of the implement and the presence of a serrated edge represent potential safety hazards. It is sometimes difficult to force the pointed end of the implement underneath the flap, particularly when aggressive adhesives and/or paper tape are used to seal the flaps. In many cases, a smooth cutting open of the envelope along the longitudinal edge is not readily performed, and this results in the envelope being torn apart along an irregular line and, in some cases, completely mutilated.
In an attempt to overcome these prior art drawbacks, the art has also proposed automatic motor-driven letter openers having a clearance slot in which an envelope is inserted and along which the envelope is advanced. A pair of juxtaposed rotary cutting gears are mounted in the slot and are driven to cut off a longitudinal strip of the advancing envelope. Although generally satisfactory for their intended purpose, such automatic letter openers are complex, relatively large, multi-part devices which not only are costly and require a power source, but also, and perhaps more importantly, they leave behind the aforementioned envelope strips as a waste product. These strips accumulate and are very unsightly, particularly when a great deal of mail is being opened at one location.